Why This Bride's Breastfeeding Policy Has Moms Everywhere Outraged

When Texas resident Ceara LaFrance received an invite to a friend's wedding one day, she also received an unexpected, unpleasant surprise: a note asking that breastfeeding guests do so in a designated area away from family and friends.

The note read: "To all our mommies who are breastfeeding, we are sensitive to the fact that you may need to breastfeed during our event, therefore we have designated an appropriate place for you to feed your baby so that you do not have to do so in public in front of our family and friends."

LaFrance told Today Parents that her husband, Justin, who was the best man at the wedding, was also told by the groom that LaFrance wouldn't be allowed to breastfeed at the wedding. Initially, LaFrance said that she wanted to respect the bride and groom's feelings and not make a big deal out of the note. After thinking about the situation, she decided to leave her two kids, a two-year-old and a three-month-old, at home the day of the wedding. However, when she arrived at the wedding and saw that the designated breastfeeding area was "nothing more than chairs set up outside of bathroom stalls" she was furious.

"At that point, this wasn't related to the wedding at all," LaFrance told Today Parents. "We don't eat in the bathroom — why should we feed babies in the bathroom? And there were baby blankets to cover up with — so not only do you want me to go to a different room to breastfeed, but you also want me to cover up in that room?"

LaFrance turned her experience into a meme and shared it with Facebook group Breastfeeding Mama Talk, where it quickly went viral.

LaFrance says that ultimately, she's not trying to shame the couple involved; she's simply trying to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding breastfeeding.

"I did not want this all to be directed towards the bride and groom," she said. "I wanted the message to be, 'Look — why is this still happening in 2017? Why are we still shaming breastfeeding moms?'"